La Petit Nicola
by Alluring-dark
Summary: Nicola has lived in the dark about magic for the last 10 years. Her aunt then comes to sweep her away to Beauxbaton's for a proper education. Upon attending there, she makes new friends, gets into fights, and all the lovely stuff that school is made of. She also helps solve a mystery with the school.
1. Its not all as it seems

The grass was moving. Quicker and quicker beneath her. It seemed as though she was on a tredmill and it wasn't stopping anytime soon. The sounds of hoofs filled her ears, as her black horse, Pepe, galloped over the fields that surrounded her property. The next house wasn't for miles, which was good because then no one would was there to bother her. Oh she hated being bothered.

"Nicola, can you please slow down?"

Nicola turned around to look behind her. The stable boy, Luc, was slowly catching up to her on his golden mare. He looked kind of out of breath as he came over the hill.

"Why do you always go so fast?" Luc asked as she brought her horse to a slow so he could catch up with her.

"That's the fun part? Don't you see?" She laughed as she watched her best friend look at her with concern. Luc and his family had worked for the Dubois for centuries and were now considered more along the lines of 'family friends' then 'the help.' She had grown up with Luc by her side, helping with building forts out of the couches and sneaking out late for midnight horse rides. She knew him more then she knew herself at times it seemed.

"I know, but sometimes I think Louis gets tired of it." Luc sighed, patting his mare on the neck. The horse was a birthday gift from Nicola and her family, and it was his favorite thing in the world. Every morning he would get up and brush her hair and find her the best carrots from the cook. He really loved her.

Nicola stuck out her tongue and yelled "RACE YOU TO THE APPLE TREE" as she squeezed Pepe to go forwards. Her horse was one of her father's fastest, and it made Nicola happy that she could feel like she could fly at times. She laughed as Luc called out something and then raced after her. The gallops set into a perfect rhyme that matched their pounding hearts. They rode around the pond and the stone well, over the dirt road and towards the collection of trees in front of the estate. It was Nicola's favorite place on the property. It looked out onto the gate way so visitors could be watched before they entered and it was shady enough to hold a picnic in the summer time.

She clicked her tongue and Pepe stopped short, letting her jump off and touch the blooming apple tree in the front.

"I WIN!" She yelled as she burst into laughter. Luc wasn't far behind, but he had just dismounted his horse when Nicola sat down.

"Do you hear that?" he asked, looking at the main road that lead from the gate to the house. The entire forest went still. It seemed like every creature was listening. Nicola quietly crawled over to get a glimpse of the dirt road. There was a horse and buggy trotting down at a slow pace. The buggy was sliver and purple, looking extremely expensive for this part of town. The horse was also pure silver, which Nicola gasped at. It seemed to reflect the sunlight and could very well star in one of her fairytale novels.

Luc looked back at Nicola. They were both only 10 years old but sometimes he acted way older then he was.

"Let's go see?" He asked, swinging his leg up on to his mare. She grunted in approval.

Why would Mama and Papa be having a guest at this hour? Nicola wondered as she jumped back onto Pepe without another word. And furthermore, who was it?

Luc and Nicola rode down towards the carriage, and to their surprise, their coming didn't startle the silver horse, it barely looked their way.

She guided her horse to one side and tried to peer into the closed window'd carriage. Other then silk and velvet, Nicola could only make out the silhouette of a women. A women would was wearing a string of pearls around her neck.

This is very odd.


	2. The mysterious aunt

"Quick!" Nicola whispered as she jumped off Pepe and ran out of the stables. They had followed the carriage until the front gates, and then they ran to the stables. Luc tied up his horse and followed Nicola out of the building.

They ran through the kitchen entrance, where Marie was busy making tea and cooking crumpets, it seemed. She didn't even look up when they two of them came running through and entered the door that led into the dining hall.

"Hello dearest sister!"

Her accent was thick, and it jogged a memory in Nicola's mind. Maybe if she would have stopped to think, then she would have realized what and who she was dealing with her.

There was a mumble of more voices that seemed to be drifting down the main hallway. Luc and Nicola stopped short, and quietly creaked the dining room door open just a bit. She brought her finger to her lips, a motion to stay quiet, and they observed.

This woman was skinny, and very fair skinned. Her hair was blonde and was tied up into bun at the nape of her neck. Her clothing was way to formal compared to Mama's and Papa's, and the string of pearls on her neck seemed to weigh her down slightly. She didn't take off her shoes at the front door either, which was a sign she wasn't staying long.

"I haven't seen you in so long…" Mama said, leading their guest to the back of the house. Mama was the younger sister in the family. There had been 5 girls all together but Nicola had never seen this one before. They shared the same brilliant blue eyes, high cheekbones and delicate features. Though something was strange about her.

"Yes yes, well you know, things do get busy in my profession." The women laughed as she grabbed Mama's hand as if it was the biggest joke of the season. Papa and Mama laughed lightly and politely along with her.

Nicola nodded to Luc, who then quietly stood up and tiptoed over to the bonus room. She followed closely behind, trying to listen in on their conversation. Mama was talking about the plants, and Papa seemed to busy himself with his newspaper on the table. The women's voice seemed plastic, like she planned all the things she was going to say.

"Now, where is dear Nicola?"

Nicola stopped moving and Luc grabbed her hand. They had almost made it to the next door without making a sound. This would let them spy on the living room without getting caught. They both didn't move for a long moment.

"I don't know at the moment. She is a free spirit Miranna." Her mother said, as the women made a tsk tsk sound.

"Honestly Adria, I wonder how you can sleep at night with such a child."

Nicola and Luc had made it to the next door and as quietly as they could, they pulled it open.

Miranna, her aunt, was holding a wooden stick in her hand as she sat at the table. The stick seemed laced with silver, for it glinted in the sunlight when she moved it. She motioned over her tea cup and the spoon started to stir itself. Luc looked over and mouthed 'oh my goodness'. Nicola felt like she couldn't breath.

"Miranna, please. We don't support that and you know it." Mama said, sitting down in the chair across from her sister. Her faced seemed more lined with wrinkles then ever.

"Well, it is precisely why I am here! Now, Nicola, would you please come out from behind that door -" she said as the two doors swung open as if they had been pushed by an angry child. Everyone turned to look over at Luc and Nicola sitting on the floor. "so that we can talk, please and thank you."

Nicola felt as though she couldn't move. Luc stood up and somehow her feet decided to follow his. They went to stand beside the table, all the adults eyes on them.

"Well, now you have gone and done it, Miranna." Mama said, shaking her head and looking at Nicola.

"Mama, what's going on?" Nicola asked as she looked back and forth between the lady and her mother.

"Did you know it's rude to listen in on conversations? Honestly, I wish you got her a tutor or something, she cannot go around like this."

Her mother sighed, and her father seemed to stay out of it. He seemed to enjoy the crossword puzzle more than the interesting conversation going on in front of him.

"Luc, it is alright, you may go." Mama sighed again as her sister carried on with talking about how her niece should have been raised like a proper lady. Luc nodded, then looked back at Nicola. He smiled one of his warm smiles, the ones he knew gave her the most confidence she could ever have, and then he walked away.

"…in my days, women were brought up to read and write and paint! Which of these things can Nicola even do…?" Miranna said, looking down at Nicola.

"I can read, and write, and paint…" Nicole whispered, seeming indimdated by this women.

"Well, that's a relief."

"Miranna, please." Mama cut in, interrupting her sisters next rant she was about to go on.

"You know why I am here, Arida. Beauxbaton wants Nicola and they have sent me to make sure she suggestfully gets on her way." Miranna stated, looking Nicola all over.

"She won't be going." Papa cut in. He put down his newspaper and looked over.

"You, unfortunately, do not have a choice. I have a letter from Madame Maxime. She has been looking forward to having Nicola attend since she was born. Plus I have a letter from the Board of Trustees of Magic Education that insist you let Nicola go." She tossed four letters on the table top. Papa and Mama grabbed them, and ripped them open.

Nicola was all so confused about this entire situation. Why did they want her so badly? What were they going to do with her?

"Mama, please, what's going on?" She asked again, watching her mom read over the white sheets of paper.

"Do you believe in Magic, Nicola?" Miranna asked, peering over the table to get a closer look at her niece. Nicola resisted the urge to shy away. She didn't answer. Her aunt was smiling a smile that seemed to hide many hidden years of memories that were not the greatest.

"Sometimes." Nicola finally answered, putting her hands into the back pockets of her jeans.

"Well, you better change your mind."

Her aunt leaned over and handed Nicola a letter. A small letter with a blue wax stamp in the back. On the wax stamp there were two sticks similar to the one her aunt was holding and a crest. The letter was addressed to her.


	3. That letter

Nicola peered at the carriage, her aunts carriage, that was parked in the driveway. The horse was still was a model, glinting its silver mane in the sunlight.

"I still don't really understand." Nicola looked up to her mother, who was standing over her with her second cup of tea. Miranna, her aunt, had been at the house for an hour, talking to her parents about something called Beauxbatons. It seemed silly and a waste of time. Mama patted her on the head.

The best explanation she got was from her aunt, who told her there was a castle in the country that taught young girls how to grow up and become proper women. Proper magical women. At first it seemed impossible, but her aunt had done varies things with that silver stick she was holding to prove Nicola otherwise.

"You'll be going with your aunt today to get some supplies for school. For the nice school in the palace." Her mother smiled at her, trying to look normal but hiding drops of concern in her eyes and the way her lips moved. Nicola clutched the letter in her hands. She didn't want to go with her aunt. It seemed like a death wish.

She looked back at her father, who simply shook his head and went back inside. He never was one for words.

"But what if I do not want to go?" Nicola asked again as her mother led her down the steps.

"Sometimes, dearie, people do not have a choice." Her mother simply responded.

"Quickly! Oh there is soooo much to do! Won't you join us, Arida?" Her aunt said, opening the carriage door and sitting down on one side.

"No no. You two go. Have fun." Mama said as she gave Nicola a quick kiss on the cheek and helped her into the carriage. Nicola waved goodbye as the door shut and the silver horse started trotting away from her home.

The inside of the carriage was bigger then what it looks like on the outside. There were two couches, a bed in the back ground and what looked to be a chessboard and a tea set sitting on one of the three tables.

"Magic hun." Her aunt said as she sat down on one of the couches and picked a pillow up. Nicola just stared.

"Come, sit. Stop looking like a fish, it is not attractive at all!"

Nicola did as she was told, and sat down on the chair across from her aunt. The chairs were made of purple velvet and she felt like she didn't belong.

"Well, love, why don't you open the letter? Come on, quickly." Her aunt said as she petted the pillow as if it was a cat. Sure enough, it started to purr.

Nicola stopped starring at the moving pillow and ripped the letter open. There were three sheets of crisp white paper inside. She carefully took them out and placed the envelop in her lap.

_Dear Nicola Dubois,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Beauxbaton Academy of Magic for girls. You will have a marvelous time here, learning the advanced basics of magical education as well as etiquette. We pride ourselves in our accomplished women that have studied in our libraries and gone into the world and succeeded._

_Enclosed, we have included a list of thing that must be purchased for first year students. There is no exceptions as these will be needed the first term of school. _

_The coach will arrive at 10:40 am on the dot on the first of September. Please be ready with your trunks and everything that we have included in this list._

Signed,

Madame Olympe Maxime

Nicola then shifted to the next pieces of paper. One was a list of text books, and she almost shouted when she saw how many there were, and another was a list of other odds and ends Nicola had very heard of before.

"Where are we supposed to find dragon hid gloves? Mermaid scale slippers? Mistle berries?" She asked, skimming the list and mentioning off some of items needed. These things would be impossible to find anywhere!

"Do not worry cherie, l'arc de tromphe will have everything we will need."


	4. A bumpy ride

Nicola was starting to get frustrated. Here she was, sitting in this carriage that had magical capabilities, and all she wanted to do was take Pepe for a ride again and let everything sink into her system.

So, magic was real. And there were hidden schools that taught children how to do things with those sticks. And Mama and Aunt Marianna had gone to Beauxbaton when they were around her age.

Miranna kept talking away, seeming to relive her childhood at school, and feeling the need to list off everything that ever came to mind about anything. Every so often, she would stop to tell Nicola to sit up straighter, or not to fuss, or she noticed the grass stain on her jeans and removed it with a wave of that stick.

"Oh, we're almost there."

That was the one statement that caught Nicola's attention. She stopped playing with her brunette hair and ran over to the window. The carriage was speeding up.

"I would sit down Cherie, things do get a little bumpy at this part." Miranna said, letting her cat pillow jump off her lap and back on the couch. It meowed and purred some more.

Nicola looked over and then back at the window. The ground was going by faster and faster. It was even faster than when she rode Pepe. The carriage started to rock a little, and the ground seemed to be moving away.

"You should really learn to listen when I say to sit back down! Now what was I saying? Oh yes, you see…" Miranna continued, putting her feet up on the footstool in front of her.

Nicola felt her knees give in and she said by the carriage door, holding tightly on to the locked door handle and trying not to slide around the rug. She looked back at her aunt, who was still talking a mile a minute, even though the couch had started to slide in one direction.

"Are we flying!" Nicola asked when she stood back up again. The ground was very very far away.

"Do not interrupt! It is not very respectful! And of course we're flying!" She replied, fixing Nicola with a glare and then returning to the story she had been telling.

Peeking out the window, she noticed the L'arc de Triomphe coming into view. And they were flying straight towards it.

"Aunt! We're gonna hit it!" Nicola cried, stumbling back over to her aunt, who was completely ignoring her. She grabbed her arm.

"Will you please relax? You act as though you have never been in one of these before. Oh right, you have not… silly me." Her aunt laughed at herself and then went back to petting her cat pillow again.

Nicola's heart started to beat faster and faster. They were going to hit the L'arc de Triomphe. Her aunt was going to try and kill her. She stumbled back towards the window and held on tightly as she watched.

She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the sound of breaking brick, of the carriage shaking and of Miranna's annoying voice screaming as they plummeted to their deaths. But none of that happened. The carriage straightened out again and it seemed to be going back towards the ground.

Nicola opened her eyes and gasped out loud. Instead of the other side of the L'arc there was a street that looked to be right out of a Greece courtyard. There were fountains with sparkling water and people in robes wondering up and down the many shops that lined the road. She looked back only to see a blue sky and a few rebel clouds. The carriage was coming closer and closer to the stone streets, and people seemed to clear away and took no notice to the flying carriage.

"I told you we would be alright." Her aunt said, coming behind her to look out the window. She smiled and then reached into her pocket.

They landed down on the road with barely even a thud. The latches that had locked the doors clicked open and Nicola stepped out, happy to be on land again. Her aunt stepped out afterwards.

Everything was a site to behold. There were girls filing around wearing matching silk blue dress robes, the unicorn on the fountain seemed to move every so often, and the silver horse that was latched on to the carriage had giant feathered wings now, stretching about six feet on either side. Nicola didn't know what to do with herself or where to look.

"Ok, first we have to go to La Banque and take out money, and then probably La Boutique De Baton for your wand…." Miranna mumbled, shuffling around her dress pocket.

"I don't have any money though…" Nicola stated as she walked beside her aunt down the street.

"Oh, mon pettit Nicola, your Mama and Papa did leave you wizarding money, you are set! Once I find that key…"


	5. How to pay

Nicola followed her aunt down the crowded street. It seemed like everyone in town was here buying this or that. She marveled at some flowers behind a glass window that started singing when she walked buy, or how there were jars and jars of things she had never heard of in her life sitting on windowsills.

Everyone seemed to know Miranna, who stopped to chat with anyone who said hello. Nicola was introduced as well, and the majority of the people knew of her mother too. It was very odd.

"So, La Banque is the first stop on the list, I believe." Miranna said, walking up stone steps to what resembled the museum in New York. There were pillars and about twenty stone steps before the front double doors.

Her aunt shuffled around some more, digging in her dresses and under-layers for Nicola's key as they walked up.

Inside, there was stain glass windows of people that all seemed to move. Nicola waved at a few of them, who smiled and waved back. She still wasn't used to this whole thing just yet.

They walked down the corridor, where there were desks of people and other… odd looking things filing papers and such. It looked almost too normal. At the end of the hall, there was a women dressed all in navy. She looked like Miranna.

"Nicola wants to take out some money." Miranna stated as she pulled Nicola in front of her. The lady peered down and looked at her. One eye was grey and the other was blue, and her smile was slightly off.

"Of course. Key please?" She asked, picking up a piece of paper on her desk and turning back at them. She held out her hand. Her aunt rummaged around a little bit more, before finally pulling out a silver key from her lace up boot. It was a very simple key, and it looked too old fashioned to be used in this day and age.

The lady took the key from Miranna's hands and began to walk away. Nicola followed and so did her aunt.

"We only let the owner downstairs. You must wait in here." The women said, and at this Miranna stopped. She opened and closed her mouth as if to say something, but seemed to be at a loss for words. Nicola stifled a laugh and ran after the women, who seemed to walk so much faster than an average human.

She led her to a door, which led her to a spiral staircase. On each side there were doors with numbers on them that glowed dimly, as if shined by some other light.

"I knew your mother you know, what a wonderful women. A very powerful witch too." The lady said after a moment of silence. Nicola stopped staring at the cravings on the walls and looked at her.

"It is a shame that she leads a life without magic now. But totally understandable."

Nicola frowned. "What do you mean?" She asked politely as the women stopped at a door labeled 8267. She placed the tiny key in the keyhole in the middle of the 6. It clicked and the heavy door slowly opened.

"It's no matter. At least she let you attend Beauxbaton." The women said, turning back around to smile one of those silly smiles again. Nicola looked into the room. Inside there were shelves with small boxes on them, and in the middle there were stacks of gold coins. At least a million of them.

"Oh wow." Nicola gasped, walking past the women to look at the vault. She would have to thank Mama when she got back home.


	6. Instrument of choice

"Nicola, please, pay attention!"

Nicola stopped looking at what appeared to be a blowfish in a jar to focus back on her aunt. She was standing at the front desk talking to a young man. They were in a small shop that sold ingredients for potions.

She walked back over to stand by her aunt, who then rattled off some things off of the list that had come with the letter. So far, they had gotten her silk robes, stockings and slippers.

"At least 7 pairs of each. You never want to be unprepared my dear!" her aunt stated before they had purchased them. They had also gotten her mermaid scale slippers that were blue and that glistened. Nicola was very excited. Her trunks had been ordered, and apparently the man was pasting her initials on them and they had to go back in an hour to pick them up. The stack of textbooks that were required was back waiting with the carriage. Nicola had also purchased a few other books that she thought might prove interesting. Sea Creatures and Their Habitats, The Hidden Songs of Mermaids, Glowing Flowers and a book called All Spells the Average Person Must Know. She was excited to start soaking up the knowledge hidden in their pages. Her aunt had also insisted on buying her two silver robes for when things get 'a little chilly', her dragon-hid gloves and her riding outfit. All that was left to buy was her scales, her 'instrument of choice.', her 'animal of choice. Either a cat, songbird or mouse.' And her wand, which apparently was saved until last because that was the most important part. Nicola was losing her patients though, for they had been at the market for hours and her feet were starting to hurt.

"Here we are." The man huffed as he placed a box of different size vials on the counter. A smell of what appeared to be wet dog filled the shop.

"Thank you very much." Miranna coughed as she passed the list over to Nicola and grabbed the box. The glass clinked as she pulled it off the counter. The man then glanced down at her, and through his glasses she could see bright baby blue eyes. It was almost frightening. She handed him two gold coins and six silver ones and then followed her aunt outside the store. A women on a unicorn rode by, seeming completely fine with interrupting the flow of traffic by the people. She looked up at the women, who was blonde and tall and fair. Nicola, who was burnette and tanned and short, blushed when she looked at her and shuffled past. She wasn't as pretty and she didn't think it was possible to ever hold a sliver of beauty compared to everyone else.

Apparently, some people were part of a species that made people drawn to them and make them look prettier. It started with a V and Nicola couldn't remember the rest. She followed her aunt into the music shop.

"Ah! Another bright young student of Beauxbatons! Are you starting your first year dear?" The man asked. He was older, probably the oldest Nicola had seen today, and had curly grey hair.

Nicola nodded and smiled, liking him already.

The music shop was a very loud place. A violin was over in the corner playing itself, and a few other instruments that she had never seen before were scattered on shelves and displayed on mantles, playing and humming with a call that said 'buy me!"

"Yes. Nicola needs to choose an instrument to practice in for first year." Miranna said, setting the box down on the counter and wiping the sweat off her brow. The man came around the desk and stood in front of her.

"Well, what do you like to listen to, Cherie? Soft tones? Do you prefer twirls to hums or tones to rhyme?" He asked, looking down at Nicola and smiling. She couldn't help but smile back. Everyone here was so friendly and happy with their lives.

"I don't know. I haven't played anything my whole life." She stated, looking around and the things on the shelves.

"Well, you have to start somewhere." Miranna huffed, looking at her pocket watch that she pulled out of her pocket.

That's when Nicola saw it. It was small, silver and it looked too delicate to be touched. There were a dozen strings that were nailed into one side, and the decorative markings and symbols craved into the metal made Nicola want to reach out and touch it. So she did.

"Ah, she fancies the angel harp." The shop owner said, reaching over to pick it up off the shelf. He handed it to Nicola, who took it gently, careful not to break it. It was light and still held substance.

"Your Mama played the harp as well, if I remember correctly. She was very good at it too." He said as he walked back over to Miranna, who had this concerned look on her face.

"Really? I didn't know that…" Nicola started but was interrupted by her aunt clearing her throat.

"We have so many more shops to go to. Thank you Alexander, we'll take it."


	7. La Boutique De Baton

Nicola followed her aunt again through the streets of the L'arc Market. It seemed like the sun was starting to go down and people were starting to go home. There were less people out on the streets and less distractions for Nicola to wonder about.

Her angel harp was in its purple velvet bag in her hands, and it enticed her to look at it every so often. It was beautiful and Nicola couldn't stop gazing at it.

"Now, do you want to get your animal now, or shall we go to La Boutique De Baton first, to get it out of the way?" Her aunt asked, shifting the box of glass vials she was carrying. She stopped in front of a small shop that had dusty windows and millions and millions of boxes inside.

"Baton! Please!" Nicola insisted, already pushing past her aunt to walk into the shop. There were three levels and a staircase that lead upstairs in the corner. A broom was in the corner sweeping itself, and the door chimed when she opened it.

"Hello?" Nicola asked, peering in to the deserted shop. Her aunt sat down on the bench by the door, placing the box on her lap.

"I know why you've came."

Nicola looked up to see a very old woman at the top of the stairs. She had bushy eyebrows and was wearing robes that looked tattered and worn through.

"Every young lady needs a wand. Don't they? Everyone does." The women mumbled as she started down the stairs. Nicola looked at her aunt for some guidance, but her aunt was too busy looking at the shopping list to offer any reassurance or assistance.

"Wands are very particular, you see. They have a mind of their own. And they choose who they wish. If your wand doesn't like you, you'll know it." The women stated, as she picked up a box on one of the many shelves and looked back at Nicola. She shifted.

"You look like a 14 inch nynf hair."

"Excuse me?" Nicola asked, trying to be polite as the women walked over to her with the box. She opened it and handed her a wand that was black and straight. Nicola took it and looked at it. The glass vase on the counter shattered.

"No, no, no." The women said, grabbing the wand back and placing it into its box. Nicola tried to calm her beating heart. The lady waddled over to another section of boxes and pulled out a black one. She mumbled something under her breath and handed Nicola the wand. It was slightly bent with wood knots at the bottom. The drawer behind the desk slammed shut and papers flew everywhere.

"That can't be it." The old women said as she took it back and placed it on the counter. She then walked to the back of the shop, mumbling something Nicola couldn't hear. She didn't want to move though; this was the limit of her magic tolerance. The fact that wands seemed to have a mind of its own was a scary thought, and she thought she wouldn't sleep at night knowing she had one in her room.

"This one will do it. I know it will." The shop keeper said, raising a finger in the air and then opening the box. She limped back and handed Nicola a wooden wand. It was dark oak, fairly light, and it had a leaf craving that ran halfway down and twisted around the handle. She braced herself for something else to explode or shatter, but nothing did. The wand didn't do anything.

Nicola looked up to see a dozen bubbles falling from around her. They bounced around before landing on the floor with a pop, disappearing.

"Interesting." The women muttered as she took back the wand and placed it back in the box. Nicola looked back at her aunt, who was sitting in the bench, quiet as a mouse. It was almost un-nerving. The lady handed her the box with the wand in it.

"This wand is special. Only a few of them were ever made. It contains a strand of mermaid hair, unicorn hair and a drop of Blisswing wax. You will find its performance much to your liking." The women stated hoarsely, looking her in the eyes. Nicola felt frozen, unsure of what to do exactly. She held on to the box with a sweaty hand.

"Be good." The women shook the box, and then limped away.

"Well, now that THAT is all sorted out, let's go to the animal shop across the street." Her aunt said happily, picking back up the box and turning to leave.

"Aunty, what is in your wand?" Nicola asked as her aunt opened the door and walked out into the street.

"Just a single unicorn hair." She replied courtly, dodging a few people and then opening the doorway to the pet shop.

"Do most wands have only one thing in them?" She asked, turning the black wand box over and over again in her hand.

"Almost all wands only have one thing in them. Why yours has three, I don't know." She said flatly, seeming preoccupied with the three song birds in the white cage.

Nicola looked at her aunt. She hadn't known her long, but she was usually good at reading people. And there was something that was troubling Miranna. Whether that something was the wand or something else, she didn't know.


	8. Its all getting real

The ride home was a little more calming, as Nicola didn't freak out at all. She was too concerned with her new things that sat in nice little piles around her and at her feet. Her thoughts were elsewhere, not paying attention to her aunt who was still rattling off random things. How her mother and this women were related she has no idea. Her aunt was an annoying women who seemed to know a great deal about everything and liked to talk about it, while her mama was quiet and gentle, thinking before making any talk at all.

"Now, I will be there with your mom when we drop you off at the carriage next Wednesday." Miranna said, taking another sip of tea. Nicola looked up from the cover of one of her new books and started paying attention.

"Next Wednesday is when I leave…?" She asked, trying to hide the pain in her voice. Something about leaving everything, everything she had ever known, to go into a world she had never known was scary.

"Well of course, Cherie. You read the letter as well as I did. I should be over early in the morning to help you get dressed! First impressions are vital you know, and these women are very respectable people…." She continued as Nicola zoned out again. She gazed down at the floor to see her two new black and silver trunks wide open with an array of books and clothing items sprawled out beside them and inside them. Her wand was tucked away in the box, for she didn't dare take it out for fear that it would turn her into a toad just because it was angry about something or other.

Her aunt rambled on as the carriage they were in started to tilt slightly to one side. No one seemed to pay attention, no one but Nicola. Instead of staring she reached inside a brown paper bag with a moving picture of a women winking over and over again on it. They had visited other shops just for fun, like the candy shop. Everything was new and exciting in there as well, for they didn't just have chocolate, they had chocolate frogs and candy sours and everything was unlike anything she had ever seen. She pulled out a small white box from the brown bag. Pulling the green string loosened the lid of the box, which Nicola then opened gently. Inside was a white blub of what looked like sugar. She gently brought it to her lips and blew, just like her aunt had instructed to her do. The white bulb started shifting, and one could soon tell that it was a flower blooming at a fast rate right before her eyes. The petals opened up gently, and the tips sparkled with purple. Sugar flowers that bloomed themselves. This was going to take a lot of getting used to.


	9. Goodbye

"Luc."

Nicola peeked around the door. Inside there was a small bed with white cotton sheets, a desk covered in books and a bunch of toy soldiers sitting up on a shelf. The bed was empty, which meant Luc wasn't in his own room.

"Luc!" Nicola hissed again, opening the door wider and walking into his room. Luc's room had felt like a second home to her, for she spent a lot of time in it planning things and playing with him. It picked at her heart that soon she would be leaving that all behind.

"What?"

A head popped up around the corner. Luc had been sitting at his desk, writing on a piece of paper. His mama had made sure he learned to read and write early, those were very important things to a boy apparently.

Nicola smiled. His hair was all ruffled to one side and he was in his red and white striped pj's.

"Meeting. Stables. 10." Nicola whispered and then quickly shut the door. The stables were always her and Luc's meeting place for their late night adventures. It was the only room in the house that they felt they were truly alone. And it was easy to get to from almost all corners of the house.

She quickly ran down the hall way and through the bonus room. Even in the dark she knew her way around her house. The familiarity of everything had been one of her many talents as a child. She knew where her mother kept her sewing basket to the precise location of her father's morning newspaper. And this made it very easy to sneak out without making a single noise.

Slipping through the back door, she laughed lightly as she ran down the balcony steps two at a time. Her legs had finally grown long enough that she could do it herself and didn't have to be jealous of Luc's skills.

The stables were on the far left of the yard, slightly hidden by wild bushes and plants that never got cut. 'They just give this place a homey feel' her mama said every time her father brought up the topic of bringing them down. It just never happened and it probably never would.

Hearing the whining of horses and smelling hay, Nicola almost cried. Nothing about moving to Beauxbaton's would feel as good as being home. It never would, she was almost certain of this.

Stall number eight was always empty, and this is where Luc and Nicola had set up a kind of fort, if you could even call it that. There were two rice bags in the corner for seating and an upside-down pale in the middle that served as a table. They also hid a small rechargeable lamp under the bucket so they had more light then just the windows. It was perfect.

Luc got there before she did, as usual. He was sitting on one of the makeshift chairs, flicking the light on when Nicola burst in. He laughed as she sat down on the hay instead of the chair.

"I can't believe I leave tomorrow." She pouted, leaning against the back fence. She clasped her hands in her lap and squeezed them tightly. Ever since coming home with her aunt she had been excited and yet so very scared for leaving.

"I am sure you will do ok. And you'll make loads of cool new magical friends." Luc laughed, abandoning his seat and coming to sit beside Nicola. Over the last week they had spent almost every second together. She had even come up with a list of things she wanted to do before she left. Things like ride for an entire morning or eat a whole pie. Luc had done every one of the things on the list with her, as well as listen to her adventures with Miranna and look over the things she bought. He didn't make as many ridiculous jokes and seemed to be more nice and calm. Nicola was dying inside knowing she couldn't see her best friend until Christmas when she came home.

"All those magical people? Yeah I don't think so. They all seem so pretty and nice, and I am not." Nicola said, looking up at him. His face was a different color because of the glow of the lamp and he almost looked alien.

"Oh, I think you're pretty. And nice. What do you have they don't?" He said, laughing and pulling at his pj pants. They were slightly too long and he tripped a lot when he wore them.

"Magical knowing? I don't know. I will miss everything." Nicola sighed, looking back down at the brick floors. Luc didn't say anything for a while. The silence was interrupted a few times by an owl or a few dozen crickets, but never one of the two.

"OH! That reminds me! I didn't show you one of the things I got when I was there!" Nicola said, reaching inside her sweater pocket. Luc perked up. All this magical stuff was so interesting to him, and over the last week he had tried to figure out how it all worked.

Nicola pulled out a black camera that looked like any other camera. It had a lens in the middle and a string that goes around your neck.

"You know those moving pictures? Well we can make our own!" She smiled, handing him the camera. He picked it up and looked through the lens.

"Ok. How does it work?" Luc asked after a few minutes of playing with the buttons and setting the flash off a few times.

"I don't know. But let's try. Kay?" Nicola said, grabbing the camera and placing it on the stall divider. They pushed the button and then started acting silly in front of the lens. Luc pretended to be a knight in shinning armor, jumping around with a stick that was his 'sword'. Nicola knocked over the bucket by accident when she started dancing like a monkey. They laughed and laughed for what seemed like hours. They sat down in the pile of hay in the corner and eventually fell asleep.

The morning sun shone lightly on Nicola's face. She rolled over and heard a muffled noise.

"You bum. You're sitting on me!"

Nicola laughed and stood up. Luc was underneath her curled into a ball. He shoved her off and then started getting up as well. She turned off the light and grabbed the camera. Did she know how to take pictures with it? No. But that was half the fun.

"It's Wednesday…." She yawned as Luc stretched. He always did the exact same stretch too, the one where the person looks like their back is dislocated and their arms are above their heads.

"Mama will be wondering where you are." Luc said as they walked out of the stables. It was early and the sun was just barely skimming over the dewy hills. Everyone was still sleeping, nothing stirred in the house at all.

They both walked up the front porch and looked at the back door. This was it.

"I am going to miss you." Nicola said, placing the camera down on the table to give him a real hug. They never really did hug, but yet again, there never was a reason to say goodbye.

"I am going to miss having you around. And you know everyone else around here will too." Luc said after a moment, seeming shocked by the gesture. Nicola laughed and picked back up the camera. She turned it to face both of them.

"Wave. Say goodbye." She said. Luc joined her in waving as the weight of the camera made her little arm start moving downwards. And that was that.


End file.
